MONT BELVIEU, Texas — A new federal fight is underway to get a Barbers Hill ISD teen back in class after a judge ruled Thursday that the district's rules on hair length did not violate the CROWN Act.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is leading the fight. On Friday, she said she'll be looking into federal civil rights violations connected to Barbers Hill ISD and its policy, saying the blame for the disruption in Darryl George's education falls entirely on the district.
"The CROWN Act will now become a federal challenge and I expect the United States Congress will join me in targeting Texas as a state that tried to do the right thing but was rejected by a single state district court judge," said Jackson Lee.
Barbers Hill ISD has a policy that limits the length of hair.
"It's been that way for 30 years," Superintendent Greg Poole told KHOU 11 in 2020.
George was suspended at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year because Barbers Hill ISD said his locs fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes and violated the district’s dress code. It's a similar story former Barbers Hill student DeAndre Arnold faced in 2020. Arnold was suspended for the length of his locks and told he couldn't walk at graduation unless he cut them. He eventually transferred schools.
Two years later, Arnold became one of the inspirations behind Texas passing the CROWN Act, which related to discrimination based on hair texture or protective hairstyles associated with race.
George's family said Barbers Hill ISD was violating the CROWN Act by punishing him over the length of his locs. Still, a Chambers County District Court judge sided in favor of the district, saying its dress code policy concerning length does not violate the CROWN Act because length isn't spelled out in the wording of the law.
"It was déjà vu all over again," said State Representative Ron Reynolds. "This time they said well, you know, the Crown Act passed, but it didn’t cover length. This was a damn shame."
"This is not just about hair," said Kameisha Smith with the Mississippi Coalition to End Corporal Punishment. "This is not just about Darrell. This is about the injustice that black students seem to face when trying to receive a quality education."
Jackson Lee and others cite the lack of cultural competency on the bench and in the district for Thursday's ruling, adding that protective styles require a certain length and policing hairstyles historically tied to race is problematic.
George, 18, already has spent more than 80% of the school year outside of his regular classroom.
"He is in prison at school," said State Representative Jolanda Jones. "That baby should be in the classroom, not the courtroom."
KHOU reached out to Judge Chap Cain's office for comment. There has been no response as of Friday evening. Barbers Hill ISD had no further comment.